McDonald's Is Bringing Back the McRib Nationwide

With travel restrictions and quarantine requirements, road trips may be the most attractive way to travel for the foreseeable future. But if you're one of those road-ready fast food fanatics willing to take a long drive to get your hands on an elusive McRib, you won't need to gas up the car and fire up Google Maps. Today, McDonald's announced its fan-favorite McRib sandwich is being released nationwide this winter.

Starting December 2, the McRib will be sold at 14,000 McDonald's locations across the country. The McRib first hit McDonald's menus in 1981 and was introduced to the entire country in 1982. The last time it was rolled out nationally was in 2012. The limited-time offering sandwich is generally only released regionally and not on any set schedule, sparking a Grateful Dead-like fandom of salivating nomads who migrate to wherever the sandwich pops up next. But this year's wide release could be seen as the continuation of a trend: In 2019, the sandwich received a 10,000-restaurant rollout after being in 9,000 restaurants in 2018, which was also the first year you could get one delivered.

While part of the sandwich's appeal was its scarcity, but as fast food expert and former Simpsons writer and producer Bill Oakley pointed out last year, the McRib faces more limited-time-offer competition than ever. At the time of its last release, we were in the thick of the chicken sandwich wars instigated by the arrival of Popeyes' The Sandwich. And short-term menu items and crossovers between major chains and snack brands have become commonplace. But the McRib persists. According to Insider, the barbecue pork sandwich even bid "farewell" three times in the mid-2000s, but, ostensibly due to demand, it just keeps coming back.